Carleton Place mayor facing fresh misconduct allegations
CBC News | Posted: October 16, 2018 8:00 AM | Last Updated: October 16, 2018
Louis Antonakos attempted to direct staff in dumping matter, integrity commissioner found
Carleton Place Mayor Louis Antonakos, who's running for re-election, has again been scolded by the town's integrity commissioner over interactions with staff.
In February, Antonakos had his pay suspended for 270 days after former integrity commissioner Robert Swayze concluded the mayor had breached the town's code of conduct.
Those breaches included bullying and releasing confidential information — specifically, audio recordings of in-camera council meetings — to developers.
It is not appropriate for the Mayor to direct how staff undertake their jobs. - Tony Fleming, Carleton Place integrity commissioner
A new report, dated Oct. 4 and set for discussion at a special council meeting Tuesday, looked into whether Antonakos broke provincial law by ordering staff to take action against a developer over allegations of illegal construction waste dumping.
Tony Fleming, acting on behalf of the Kingston-based law firm hired in March to replace Swayze, concluded Antonakos was wrong to recommend the town's chief administrative officer (CAO) instruct staff to reach out to the province about the unnamed developer before the town's investigation into the matter had finished.
"Council sets policy and the CAO translates that direction into action by in turn directing staff," Fleming wrote.
"This distinction is not unique to Carleton Place and is enshrined in the Municipal Act.... It is not appropriate for the Mayor to direct how staff undertake their jobs."
No penalty
Fleming also looked into allegations the mayor harassed staff, but said employees were reluctant to talk to him about it — a troubling sign, he said.
Nevertheless, Fleming is recommending the mayor be cautioned, not penalized. He suggested Antonakos should undergo sensitivity training, and that the mayor's interactions with staff be restricted to the CAO.
Asked for comment on the report Monday, Antonakos forwarded emails he claimed were pertinent to the matter, adding only that he'd have no further comment at this time.
At a mayoral debate last week, Antonakos said he was looking forward to serving another term — and would have welcomed more questions about the incidents so that he could defend his record.
"Something I would've liked to see was more time to give more fulsome answers to some of the questions, particularly on transparency and some of the economic development ones," he said.
During the debate, Ralph Lee, a local lawyer who's also running for mayor, called out the "dysfunction, infighting and scandals over the last four years" in Carleton Place.